I am heading to Tahoe and Sacremento in mid-February and was wondering what the season/area is like for bouldering and sportclimbing? Any info is helpful. We will be staying near Heavenly. I'll be coming down from alaska, so anything above about 40 degrees is warm enough, but what's the snow cover like, etc.

Thanks, Todd

p.s. for those in the know, what hard(13+,14- range) climbs would you recommmend. I have never climbed at that level, but I thought it'd be fun to try em out.

You will be able to hike to things at basin level(pie shop and surrounding boulders) and depending on the weather you can sport climb at phatom spires outside the basin. Pick up the south lake tahoe book from the supertopo website. It may be cold but there are also weeks where 45+ degrees is the norm hi temp.

depending on the day, you can climb at cave rock during the mornings (when the sun is out), just remember that the situation there is a little hinky so be prepared to leave if the native americans ask you to.... there are loads of 12s, 13s, and a 14 or two there...too bad it's in the middle of a highway! if you like solitude--try pig rock outside reno--a good 13 and handfuls of 12 in the desert. gets morning sun as well. phantom spires and sugarloaf may be okay to climb at--i haven't been there this winter to know... pie shop at south lake is okay too--depends on the day... there is bouldering out somewhere in the desert by black rock--stop by the rocksport gym in town for directions...

remember, you're just three hours away from bishop and the eastern sierras!

Sugarloaf and pie shop would probably be pretty. If you want to take a trip to donner summit, Grouase Slabs and Roadcut are great winter crags. You could also go to Pig rock, or dinosaur rock out in the desert. Another nice little crag is River Rock, in the Truckee River Canyon between Truckee and Reno. Have fun.

If your up for a short hike (about 45 min) and have some snow shoes or the like you can get up to Big Chief in the middle of the winter. If the weather's nice it's pretty good up there. plenty of 13s if you want to try 'em. It's in north tahoe though, so it'll be a 45 min drive at least from south lake.

I'll be around until the end of Feb so if you want to go give me a ring.

Sugarloaf is an excellent granite crag that gets a lot of sun. Has excellent crack and face routes. My favorites are Farley, The Fracture, Fingerlock and Taurus. This time of year in the Tahoe region is really hit or miss. Don't be surprised if you get stormed out of climbing. Fortunatly, Tahoe has many fun things to do and beautiful sights to see outside of climbing. Good Luck.

Sugarloaf and pie shop would probably be pretty. If you want to take a trip to donner summit, Grouase Slabs and Roadcut are great winter crags. You could also go to Pig rock, or dinosaur rock out in the desert. Another nice little crag is River Rock, in the Truckee River Canyon between Truckee and Reno. Have fun.

While River Rock and Dinosaur Rock are decent little crags, they are hardly destinations in and of themselves. Pig Rock may qualify as a crag for you to introduce yourself to the 5.13 grade as you expressed desire to do. It's been a while since I've been to Pig, but I remember the road requiring high-clearance. If these are the only climbable crags during your visit then you are probably better off sipping Irish Coffee with your girl while enjoying the view of Lake Tahoe from one of many killer lakeside venues (I can recommend a few). Remember also, you are in Tahoe which is a prime center for winter sports like skiing and boarding (although those sports interest me little since I found climbing).